The "One Spot Warm up"

Use a “One Spot Warm up” for those time when you aren’t able to walk or jog for a warm up. For the cardio phase of the warm up use a step, curb or berm for steps and lateral lifts. After 5-8 minutes, move walk it out, then move onto flexibility, high knees and your workout.

1. Joint Lubrication
Starting with your lower body and moving upward, this series of gentle exercises will loosen your joints, releasing stiffness and tension. Standing on one leg, extend the other leg forward and circle your ankle to the right and then to the left. Take your time and use your full range of motion. Repeat the rotations twice more in each direction. Now do the other ankle. Moving upward to your knees, hips, wrists, elbows and shoulders, move each joint through its range of motion three times.

Tip: When ever you put a joint through its natural range of motion a natural lubrication called synovial fluid enters that joint.

2. Reverse Breath
Position yourself in the Athletic Stance. Stand tall, allow your chest to open as you lift your ribs. Take a deep breath: an easy inhale followed by a slow exhale. Empty your lungs of air as you exhale completely—all the way out. Observe how your lungs expand to accommodate the air that rushes in to replenish the breath you’ve exhaled. Repeat with a second breath. Now reach both arms directly overhead, and take a few of the same deep, slow breaths from this position.

3. Posture Check
With your arms still overhead, lower your shoulders down, away from your ears, and open your chest by pulling your shoulder blades more closely together. Observe the change in your posture. Now lower your arms until they are stretching out to the side and directly in line with your shoulders. Bring your shoulder blades together, and feel you chest open as you take a couple more deep breaths. Slowly lower your arms to your sides.

4. Cardio—Warm up

Step Ups with a Kickback
• Step up with your right foot, making full foot contact--especially through the heel--as you rise up. Lift your left behind you as you contract your glutes. Then lower your left foot and right foot. Create a rhythm: “Up, kickback, down, down…Up, kickback, down, down.” As you march, think about maintaining great posture and stepping down softly through the ball of your foot.

Lateral Step ups
• Next, stand laterally to the step, with your hands on your hips. Use your right foot to step sideways onto the step, and lifting your left leg out to the side. Step down on to your left foot. Follow with the right foot and tap the ground before stepping up again, and repeating the leg lift. Pay close attention to your form and posture. Are your hips squared, and your ribs lifted? Is your chin up? Are you breathing deeply? At the 30-second mark, switch legs. Step with your left foot and lift your right leg for another 30 seconds.